NICE recommends first targeted treatment for MZL

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended zanubrutinib as an option for treating relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) in adults.

Zanubrutinib is recommended as a treatment option for MZL in adults who have already been treated with an anti-CD20 based treatment such as rituximab. 

Zanubrutinib is the first targeted treatment to be recommended for people with marginal zone lymphoma. Targeted treatments are medicines that have been specially designed to attack particular proteins on lymphoma cells. Zanubrutinib is a BTK inhibitor, it targets and blocks a protein called Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), which is important for cancer cell survival.

Zanubrutinib is a capsule that you take by mouth once or twice a day. It has been shown in studies to increase how long people have before their lymphoma gets worse, and how long they live overall. It also provides an important alternative to those people who cannot have the current treatment options available.

Find out more about drug development, approval and funding, or visit Lymphoma TrialsLink for the latest on clinical trials for lymphoma.